Sunday, September 24, 2017
Sunday Sermon On This Christmas Day 2016
Sunday Sermon On This Christmas Day 2016
It is never our job to convert anybody, but at this time of good will I would ask you to respectfully look at these 2 short, gentle YouTube videos
Sean Carroll and Naturalism
Belief in Belief in God
Now go back to that gentle, peaceful and respectful Christmas Celebration.
download file now
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Sunday Sermon Meanwhile in America
Sunday Sermon Meanwhile in America
Meanwhile, Id like to state for the record that Im definitely not terrified of Muslims.
download file now
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Sunday Sermon April Fool 2017
Sunday Sermon April Fool 2017
Feather Wrap
Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales (1392) contains the first recorded association between April 1 and foolishness.
Lane Valet
ONEsie
Gnome
And Finally
We can all be easily fooled. Many of us are taught a Religious narrative from birth. Should the same be introduced at a later age, at an age we could reason and debate, it would seem ridiculous to many, and be rejected out of hand. Or at the very least, in adulthood we would be able to choose the most comforting delusion that meets our needs
download file now
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Sunday Sermon Good and Bad Childhoods
Sunday Sermon Good and Bad Childhoods
Good and Bad Childhoods
The youtube video is self explanatory.
download file now
Friday, September 1, 2017
Sunday Sermon Some reasons why he left
Sunday Sermon Some reasons why he left
Why he left Islam
The Aside
If you are reading this, then by definition you have Internet Access. I hope your bandwidth is fast enough to look at YouTube and here is why.
Over the last 15 years Marcus has exponentially gravitated away from the paper based documentation sources to a mixture of Online websites and living repositories of information.
We do live in a world of manufactured, mis-represented facts, suppositions or theories, but by cross checking sources, and actually using your Brain to screen out the inconsistent then you are hopefully left with at least a set of plausible propositions.
YouTube now forms a major free online resource that I recommend you take advantage of. Indeed this above video is a good example
- It puts forward propositions
- With supporting references
- It invites you to check them out
- So that you can verify the arguments put forward are based on agreed texts / statements
So now back to the Video Itself
Not Equal
All religions are not equal. In fact it is usual for each Religion to have a revealed Truth, supported by one or more Holy Books, that are usually not to be subject to revision or criticism.
Yet for each Religion that represents a world view even a superficial study will reveal that their differences and contradictions give us reason to believe that at most one is the truth but that zero can be assumed and each religions infallible holy book is true by circular argument
Back to The Plot
Please watch the video, and consider subscribing to the channel I hope it encourages you to do your own research. Maybe you will find this video is so wrong it will actually lead you towards Islam, or maybe not.
Links
And so much more: Quran and Scientific Miracles
download file now
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Sunday Sermon God and Existence
Sunday Sermon God and Existence
Rusty Cage: Gospel
Sent to me this week for my continued entertainment
Let There be Light
If just one of these messages makes you think for yourselves then my job is done for this Sunday sermon.
Depeche Mode: Personal Jesus
download file now
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Sunday Sermon Islam and Daughters
Sunday Sermon Islam and Daughters
Stephanie: Life Beyond Faith
This is surely worth 9 minutes of your time.
If you want me to summarise:
All religions are created
All religions are not created equal
Some are much less equal than others to the point of disgrace in modern times.
download file now
Sunday Sermon The Desperate State of the Nation
Sunday Sermon The Desperate State of the Nation
Misdirection
Its been another troubling week in world politics from Marcus perspective and I dont pretend to have all the solutions.
I can however state for the record that I am absolutely appalled by the games being placed in US political circles, predominantly by, you guessed it, the new Trump Administration.
What I would politely ask you to do is
a) Watch the above 90 second video. That is not so difficult. Think about all the irrelevant jibes that both major US parties are throwing at each other. How many of these are misdirections? Keep your eye on the real issues please people.
Hemant: Outside Test explained
b) Consider the Outsider test for Faith. This is a principle popularised by the former Church of Christ minister John Loftus. The above video by Hemant Mehta explains the principle. Please consider why you accept statements made by your Political Party as clearly true and yet similar statements made by the opposition as Patently False. By what standard do you make these sure fire assessments.
A sign at the US Holocaust Museum
Extra Homework
John Loftus: The Outsider Interview
I am definitely pivoting from my initial point, but Id rate the above 35 minute interview with John as great viewing, whether you are religious or not, or political or not.
download file now
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Sunday Sermon Murder in Istanbul
Sunday Sermon Murder in Istanbul
Google Realtime Search
I was thinking what title to name this latest atrocity. Should it be an outrage, or tragedy, but no: simple murder sums it up for me.
This was an intentional act by at the time of writing person(s) unknown reported dressed up as Santa Claus murdering innocent revelers in the Reina nightclub in Istanbul Turkey.
Actually Marcus was in Istanbul just 18 hours ago though I did not have time to visit the city centre let alone any Nightclub.
When these murderous atrocities are made our viewpoint is often thrown off target and a number of predictable and sad responses come forth from the usual world leaders and authorities
The Prayer Response
White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Years shows the attackers savagery. He said the U.S. was sending thoughts and prayers to the relatives of those killed.
For me the Prayer response devalues the concerns of secular people and is particuarly ironic in the case where the Predominantly Christian audience (USA in this example) is praying across the religious divide for a Islamic atrocity (I mean carried out in a majority Muslim country).
Since I believe the power of prayer is has the effectiveness (to quote my old manager) as the square root of f**k all, cant the White House and indeed every government find a better way to express their concerns.
Do Turks Hate Santa?
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/turkey-christmas-christians-attacks.html
In recent times Turkey moves towards a more fundamentalist Islamic interpretation and IMHO from Google the incidence of particularly Christian persecution increases.
Google Search
Agata Asked
Agata asked me: Should I continue to ask you who was responsible for these murders or is it obvious? Her comment was insightful in the sense that this modus operandi is one we have seen all too often from certain individuals claiming to represent the views of /The Religion of Peace/
In this case the group committing the murders is not yet known so we should not formally pre-judge the situation. But I can tell you that I would be astonished if police were looking for Buddhist or Jain extremists.
The Real Religion of Peace
All religions were not created, and I stress created equally. Sam Harris provides the classic reference IMHO
Sam Harris: Religion of Peace
Right Now
Id ask people
- To be well read and knowledgeable on these terrorist attacks
- To investigate for yourselves what core beliefs certain religions espouse
- In particular if you are religious for your religion. If you dont agree with them, in what way are you religious?
- Are there religions that have world views that directly oppose democracy, freedom of action for men and women, and discrimiate against women or minorities. Find out for yourself, dont take my or anybody elses word for it
download file now
Sunday Gravy Quinnipiac women s NCAA Tournament run helps school reach new heights
Sunday Gravy Quinnipiac women s NCAA Tournament run helps school reach new heights
Quinnipiac University: One University. Three Settings. Infinite Moments
Theres an unexplained phenomenon at my house. It seems the only time anyone feels the need to have an extended conversation with me is either three seconds after Ive dozed off on the couch or three seconds after Ive shut the bathroom door.
Its been said that for a mid-major, the media hype that comes with reaching the Sweet 16 is the equivalent of a larger program making the Final Four. We saw it firsthand around these parts this week.
Quinnipiacs underdog run in the womens basketball tournament ended with a 42-point loss to South Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The blowout loss on ESPN was disappointing; the journey there unleashed a whole new wave of exposure. Thats saying something for a school thats played in two national championship mens hockey games since 2013.
Hockey is a niche sport, popular in the Northeast and large swaths of the Midwest. Basketball brings true national attention and media. Quinnipiac has gone to great lengths to expand its brand and cultivate an image. The past two weeks have brought it to new heights. The final piece of the puzzle is mens basketball.
Advertisement
Speaking of which ...
Expect an announcement from quinnipiac in the next couple of days on its new mens basketball coach. The school made a point not to divert attention from the womens team, which saw its season end on Saturday in the Sweet 16.
Several candidates have been interviewed. Those confirmed include Villanova assistant Baker Dunleavy, Iona assistant Jared Grasso and Southern Connecticut State coach Scott Burrell.
Others believed to be in the mix are Albany coach Will Brown and Robert Morris coach Andy Toole. Vermont coach John Becker, a candidate earlier in the process, announced this week he will remain at his current job.
So which way will Quinnipiac go? Dunleavy, Grasso and Burrell make the most sense.
Dunleavy, son of longtime NBA coach Mike Dunleavy, brings the most impressive coaching resume even though hes only worked at one place. He played for Jay Wright and was hired away from Wall Street by Wright in 2010, working his way from director of basketball operations to associate head coach in three seasons. Last year he won a national championship.
Grasso and Burrell would also be home-run hires for Quinnipiac.
Grasso is an alum whos helped make Iona the premier team in the MAAC over the past seven years. Hiring away the chief recruiter of your leagues top gun is a nice strategic move, too. Burrell, a Hamden native, has extensive NBA experience as a player and reached the NCAA Division II tournament twice in two seasons at Southern.
Quinnipiac is the dream job for both.
For Quinnipiacs sake, lets hope the hiring goes a little smoother than the debacle at UMass. Pat Kelsey signed a contract to be the new coach only to back out a half-hour before his introductory press conference. UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford, who worked as an associate AD at Yale a decade ago, may hold Kelsey over the coals for a $1 million contract buyout Kelsey agreed to before his change of heart.
Tommy Amaker has a sweet gig going at Harvard, but is being mentioned as a candidate at Georgetown, which just fired John Thompson III.
The most fascinating trend at the NCAA tournament continues to be the insistence of taking a 3-pointer, almost always contested, while down by one on the final possession of a game.
Former University of New Haven basketball star turned heavyweight boxing prospect Cassius Chaney goes for his 10th victory in 10 professional fights on April 15 at Mohegan Sun. He beat Tommy Washington in Philadelphia two weeks ago, and faces his stiffest challenge as a pro in Juan Goode (8-4, six KOs).
At least players seem to care about winning the World Baseball Classic. And thats a good thing. Raw emotion and genuine excitement goes a long way toward making any sporting event a success. Those who took the time to watch were rewarded with great baseball thats a heck of a lot more interesting than spring training.
New Havens Josh Zeid parlayed an outstanding performance for Israel at the WBC 10 scoreless innings into a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Glen Miller, UConns associate head coach, is leaving the program. Could Tom Moore be on his way back to UConn as an assistant?
How tough is it to find a serviceable quarterback in the NFL? The Bears finally dumped Spaulding Smails look-alike Jay Cutler. Theyll replace him with either Mike Glennon or Mark Sanchez. Glennon, whos made five starts over the past three seasons as Tampa Bays Backup, will make $15 million annually. And Sanchezs will forever be known as the b**t fumble guy. The Bears might want to think about playing without a QB this season.
With Didi Gregorius on the shelf for six weeks, rumors are the Yankees could be in the market for Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks. Ahmed, a UConn product, is considered one of the games best defensive shortstops.
For all the TV games and national coverage, theres no better profile-raiser for an up-and-coming womens basketball program than Geno Auriemma strutting around in a Quinnipiac T-shirt.
Chip Malafronte, the Register sports columnist, can be reached at cmalafronte@nhregister.com. Follow Chip on Twitter @ChipMalafronte.
Source: http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170325/sunday-gravy-quinnipiac-womens-ncaa-tournament-run-helps-school-reach-new-heights
download file now